Rotary operative fastener



Dec. 29, 1942. H. A. MACKIE 2,306,968

ROTARY OPERATIVE FASTENER Filed Sept. 30, 1941 lfgg' Q mlQyn@ A .2.

lNvENToR. HARRY A. MAcmE,

bY (f ATTY.

Patented Dec. 29, 1942 :,sosms ao'raar ornaa'rrva resumen Harry A. Mackie,

United-Carr Fastener Corporation,

Westwood, Calif., assigner to Cambridge,

Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 80, 1941, Serial No. 412,992

3Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary operative type fasteners and installations thereof.

The chief object of my invention is the provision of a fastener device comprising a spring member adapted to be secured to one of a number of parts to be fastened together, and a rotary member adapted to be secured to another of the parts to be secured and having means interlocking with the spring member when turned to fastened position. My invention is directed particularly to a member forming a part of the fastener device and preferably adapted to engage the spring to limit movement of the spring toward the part to which it is attached while the members are in-fastened engagement.

Other objects and uses of my invention will be apparent from inspection of the drawing and specification hereinbelow set forth.

Referring to the drawing in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. l is a front elevation showing two plates secured in face-to-face relation by my first form of fastener device;

2 is a section taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3-4 of Fig. 1, and'showing operation of the device to support the spring member when the plates are subjected to forces tending to move them apart ilatwise;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line t-l oi Fig. 1 and showing parts of the fastener device in unlocked relation;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of an installation showing two plates secured in face-to-face relation by my second form of fastener, device;

Fig.- 6 is asection taken along the line B-I of Fig. 5 showing the parte of the fastener devicein normal locked relation:

lFig. 'I is a section similar to Fig. 6 showing parts of the fastener device inunlocked relation; Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. 'l showing operation of a part of the device to support the spring member when the plates are subjected to forces tending to move them apart ilatwise;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the supporting member showing a part of my first form of fastener device; and

Fig. 10 is a section of the locking member forming a part of my second form of fastener device.

Referring to the installation illustrated in Figs. 1-4, I have shown one form of fastener device tion. comprising two units in the form of a spring with which I have chosen to illustrate my invenmember l and a rotary member 2. The spring member I is secured on the inner side 3 of a flat supporting plate l and the rotary member 2 is carried by a supporting plate E which is adapted to be secured in fiat abutting relation to the plate l. The plate 4, in my preferred form, has an opening B surrounded by a frustro-conical embossment 'l (Fig. 3) and the plate 5 has an opening B surrounded by an embossment 9 (Fig. 4). The spring member i is made of a single piece of wire having coils I 0 at its ends which act to receive a rivet by which the wire is secured to the plate I and which also operate to render the wire resilient. The wire l has a portion intermediate its ends in the form of a locking element il which is adapted for interlocking engagement with elements of the rotary member 2 when the rotary member is turned to fastened position.

The rotary member 2 has a head I! and a shank I3 extending from the head having a tubular end Il. The end i4 has a pair of spiral slots l5 therein and each of the slots provides a cam having a high point i6 (Fig. 4) and an adjacent locking seat i1. The rotary member 2 is preferably secured to the plate 5 by a grommet i8 having a flange I9 (Fig. 4) clinched over the embossment 9 after the stud member has been extended through the plate 6 to limit withdrawal of the stud member. When the stud member is turned, the locking element Il is drawn over the high points I6 of the slots l5 and thereafter snaps .into the locking seats Il under the tension set up by the coils I0.

The fastener device hereinabove described is weil known in the art and forms no part of my present invention except as related to the novel means whiclad have provided for supporting the spring member I against forces tending to draw the spring member in the direction oi the plate 3. 1`n order to accomplish this purpose, I have provided a supporting member 20 formed from one piece of relatively stiff material. The supporting member 20 is of generally plate-like form and has a rigid raised portion 2| provided with an opening 22 for receiving the tubular end I4 of the shank of the rotary member. Angular walls 23 of predetermined length extend from opposite ends of the element 22 and terminate in outwardly extending flanges or end portions 2l. Each of the end portions (Fig. 9) for receiving a rivet ny which the supporting member is secured to the plate I. In assembling the parts of my installation, the supporting member 2b is disposed on the inner side has an opening 2l Figs. 3 and .4. When the parts arein assembly,

the raised portion 2| of the supporting member is disposed intermediate the locking element I i of the spring member and the plate l and spaced a predetermined distance from the locking element Il so as not to engage the locking element when the same is moved into fastened engagement within the seats I1. When the rotary member and spring member are. in 'interlocked engagement the raised portion 2l of the supprting member 2li underlies the locking element of the spring member and is spaced a few thousandths of an inch therefrom, or only just barely farther than the distance over the higli point Il.

In operation, the supporting member 2l serves to support the spring member when the same is moved in the direction of the plate Lwhile the spring member and vrotary member-'are in fastened engagement.` It has been found with modern high-speed aircraft that at high rates of speed the wind enters between the seams of the plates tending to force the plates iapart iiatwise. When this happens, the rotary members tends to pull the spring member downwardly in the direction of the inner plate I. As the force tending to separate the plates is often substantially greater than the strength of the spring member, the

spring member may be substantially distorted by.

being pulled toward the plate l permitting the plates to move apart a dangerous degree with respect to admitting air between the plates. The supporting member which I have provided as a part of my device operates to correct this condition to a great extent by limiting the distance which the spring member can be pulled in the direction of the plate l. Thus, it will be seen from inspection of Fig. 3 that when the plates I and 5 are moved apart i'latwise the spring member can move in the direction of the plate l a distance not appreciably greater than that between the locking element l I and the supporting member when the parts of the fastener device are in the fastened position shown in Fig. 2. The

spring is prevented from moving a greater distance by the supporting member 21| which engages the locking element to prevent further distortion of the spring. Thus, as a result of my lnvention, it is impossible for the plates l and 5 to move apart more than a relatively slight distance and consequently there is no danger of the plates being forced apart an abnormal distance nor of the spring member -betng distorted beyond the limits of its tensional strenth.

Referring to Figs. 5-8, I have shown the use of a supporting member in combination with a second form of rotary operative fastener. n My second form of fastener comprises a spring member 26* in the form of a plate which is preferably bowed longitudinally and provides an aperture 21. A pair of slots 28-28 extend from opposite sides of the aperture 21 (Fig. 5) a predetermined distance toward the longitudinal ends 29 of the member. The spring member 2lil Vhas a locking element intermediate the ends 29 providing embossments I0 on opposite sides of the aperture inner face l! of the plate predetermined distance so asoobcs 21 and these embossments are preferably of arcshape. Each embossment has a gradually rising cam surface 3| extending from a low point adjacent one of the slots 23 and continuing to a high point I2 adjacent the other slot 2B. An indentation is provided intermediate the ends of each embossed portion providing locking recesses 33 adapted to receive a lateral projection carried by a rotary member 3A. The spring member 28l is disposed on the inner side of an inner plate member 35 with the aperture 21 thereof substantially in alignment with an aperture 26 (Fig. 8) of the plate 25.

The rotary member 34 has a head l1 abutting the outer surface oi an outer plate I8. A base portion 39 extends from the head 31 through an aperture 40 (Fig. 6) of the plate 3B and the aperture 26 of the plate 35. A nose li forms a con,- tinuation of the base and extends through the opening 21 of the spring member. The rotary member 34 is preferably secured in assembly with the plate 8B by a split ring 42 which is snapped into a groove of the base 29 after the rotary mem ber has been extended through the plate. A pin 43 is driven or otherwise secured in the nose Il so that opposite ends of the pin extend laterally beyond the nose on opposite sides thereof in a direction transverse to the normal axis of the rotary member. In locking the fastener device the rotary member is moved into position substantially as shown in Fig. '7 with the free ends M of the pin member Il in registration with the slots 2U of the spring member. Rotation of the rotary member in s. clock-wise direction viewing Fig. I causes the ends 44 ofthe pin member to engage the cam portions 3| and the spring-will thusI be compressed until the pin ends reach the locking recesses 33, whereupon the fastener is in locked position and is held against accidental unlocking by the tension of the spring against the pin I3. The fastener which I have just described is not new in itself and its novelty, as respects the present invention, is related'only to its use in combination with a `supporting member 4l which operates to limit movement of the spring member in the direction of the plate 35 in a manner similar to that in which the 1:importing member 20 of my first form of instal tion operates to limit movement of the spring member I toward the plate I.

The supportingmember l! is rigid in form and preferably provides fiat end portions, each of which has an aperture 41 for receiving a portion of a rivet 4B by which the same is secured to the Il. The supporting member has an arc-shaped supporting element I0 of predetermined height intermediate the ends lli and the supporting element has anraperture Bi (Fig. l0) of sumcient length and width to receive the nose Il and crosspin Il; The supporting member l! is applied to 'the inner surface Il of the plate l! with the opening Il in alignment with the opening 36 of the plate Il. The ends 2l of the spring member 2U are supported by the ends IB .of the supporting member and the supporting member and spring member are secured in ilxed assembly with the plate Ii andwith each other by rivets 48 in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 6. It will be seen that when the parts are in final assembly the supporting element 5l underlies the spring member 26' and is spaced a as not to obstruct maximum compression of the spring member during the action by which the rotary member is turned into interlocked relation with the Spring member. It will be seen from inspection of Fig. 6 that when the rotary member and spring member are in locked relation the supporting element is spaced from the spring member and, as a result. when the plates 35 and 38 are subjected to forces tending to separate the same atwise (Fig. 8) the spring member can be pulled down in the direction of the plate 35, a distance equal only to the normal distance between the elements when the parts are in locked engagement as shown in Fig. 6. Thus, as shown in Fig. 8, the supporting element I5 operates to support the spring member 26* so as to prevent the same from being distorted to a degree causing the same to crack or otherwise be rendered useless.

I have chosen to illustrate the principles of my invention in rotary operative devices, but it is understood that the theory of my invention could be applied to devices other than those specifically illustrated and described.

Although I have illustrated and described preferred forms of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best dened by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a fastener device of the rotary operative type, a spring member adapted to be secured to one of the parts to be fastened, a rotary member adapted to be secured to another of the parts to be fastened, one of said members having a cam and a locking seat and the other of said members having a locking member maintained in said seat under spring tension when said rotary member is turned to fastened position, and a supporting member arranged with relation to said spring to prevent compression of the spring to any appreciable extent greater than the height of the cam and thereby being adapted to engage said spring member to limit movement of'the same imder forces tending to move said spring in the direction oi saidsupporing memberwhilesaidrotary connection with two forms of' member and Spring member are in fastened relation while permitting fastening and unfastenins of the device.

2. In a fastener device of the rotary operative type, a spring member adapted to be secured to one of the parts to be fastened, a rotary member adapted to be secured to another of the parts to be fastened, interengaging elements provided by said members adapted to interlock when the rotary member is turned to fastened position, and a supporting member adapted to be secured to one of said parts so as normally to underlie said spring member in spaced relation thereto when the fastened members are engaged, said supporting member being adapted to engage said spring member to limit movement of the same under forces tending to move said spring in the direction of said supporting member while said spring member and rotary member are in fastened relation.

3. A fastener installation comprising in combination two parts to be secured together, the rst of said parts having an opening therein. a spring member secured to said Vrst part, a rotary member carried by the second of said parts and extending through said first part, said spring member having its ends secured to said nrst part and a locking element intermediate said ends and spaced from said firstpart, said locking element interlocking with said rotary member when said member is turned to fastened position, and a supporting member having end portions secured to said first part and a raised portion intermediate said ends, said raised portion underlying said locking element and normally spaced a predetermined distance therefrom, said raised portion being adapted to engagesaid spring member to limit movement of the same under iorces tending t0 move said spring in the direction of said drst part while said rotary member and spring member are in fastened relation.

HARRY A. MACKIE. 

